3. Demographics

This section provides an overview of the demographic information
available for lesbian, gay, bisexual and other (LGBO) adults. It
provides some key statistics from the
SSCQ
2015, as well as recent
ONS data.
There is then a brief overview of the literature on sexual
orientation demographics.

i. Summary of Scottish Survey Core Questions 2015
Data

Figure 2: Sexual Orientation by Age - Scotland
2015

Source: Scottish Surveys Core Questions 2015

Figure 2 shows that the LGBO population in Scotland was much
younger than the heterosexual population. Around three in ten (29
per cent) of LGBO adults were young adults (aged 16-24) - compared
to around a sixth (14 per cent) of heterosexual adults. Only four
percent of LGBO adults were aged 75+ compared to a tenth of
heterosexual adults. It is important to bear the differing age
profiles in mind when interpreting outcome results and where
age-standardised results are available we have tried to present
these to achieve like-for-like comparisons.

Figure 3: Sexual Orientation by Marital Status - Scotland
2015

Source:
SSCQ
2015

Figure 3 shows that LGBO adults were twice as likely to be
single and never married, compared with heterosexual adults (72 per
cent compared to 34 per cent). LGBO adults were around three times
less likely to be married (or in a civil partnership) than
heterosexual adults. It should be noted that the LGBO group has a
younger age profile.

ii. Summary of
ONS
Demographic Data

The
ONS
reports on 'sexual identity', which is a part of the wider concept
of 'sexual orientation'. The concept of Sexual Identity excludes
sexual attraction and sexual behaviour.

Figure 4: Sexual Identity in the
UK Compared with Scotland
- 2015

Source:
ONS

The Office of National Statistics (
ONS)
sexual identity estimates come from the Annual Population Survey (
APS) which
includes respondents who are aged 16 and over. Figure 4 shows that
Scotland had a similar proportion of
LGB adults in
comparison to the
UK (1.7 per cent in the
UK compared with 1.6 per
cent in Scotland) in 2015. 2.8 per cent of the Scottish population
did not know or refused to disclose their sexual identity, compared
with 4.1 per cent of the
UK population.

1.7 per cent of the
UK population described
themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual.

Men were more likely to identify (2.1 per cent) than women
(1.5 per cent).

Younger adults were more likely to self-identify - within the
youngest category (16-24) 3.3 per cent of adults identified as
LGB compared
with only 0.6 per cent of those aged 65 or over.

14 per cent of
LGB adults were
either in a same sex marriage or civil partnership.

2.2 per cent of those in 'managerial and professional'
occupations identified as
LGB, compared
to 1.6 per cent of those in 'intermediate' and 1.6 per cent of
those in 'routine and manual' professions.

Full information on this data can be found in the Sexual
identity,
UK: 2015 Bulletin
[11]

Figure 6: Sexual Identity by Ethnic Group -
UK 2015

Source:
ONS

Figure 6 shows that adults in the
UK who identified their
ethnicity as 'mixed or multiple' were most likely to self-identify
as
LGB (2.5 per
cent). Adults of Asian ethnicity were least likely to identify as
LGB (0.8 per
cent).

iii. Summary of Literature on Sexual Orientation
Demographics

The Annual Review of Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Trans and Intersex People in Europe, published by ILGA
Europe (2016), ranks the
UK as third in Europe for
LGBT
rights with a score of 81 per cent following Malta (88 per cent)
and Belgium (82 per cent) - see the Rainbow Map (Figure 7)
[12] for country comparisons. It compares European countries on
topics such as same sex marriage, parenting, asylum seekers, civil
society and hate speech and homophobic violence.

Figure 7: Rainbow Map (ILGA Europe, 2016)

Source: ILGA

ILGA Europe (2016) cites that in 2015, 71 per cent of
respondents to the
EU's Eurobarometer agreed
that
LGB people and
heterosexual people should have the same rights. For the
UK, the report highlights
various legal and institutional positions which have been taken in
relation to
LGBT
people and groups. It cites Eurobarometer 2015 which shows that 58
per cent of
UK respondents felt that
sexual orientation discrimination was widespread (the same as the
EU average) and 93 per
cent would be comfortable with an
LGB work
colleague (compared with 72 per cent for the
EU).

The Rainbow Map does not officially rank
UK countries
individually, however, Scotland met 90 per cent of ILGA's 48-point
criteria which made it the most inclusive country for
LGBTI
equality and human rights legislation in 2016.